Technology breaks down life, work boundaries

Mar. 16, 2014

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Written by

Bill Lewis

For The Tennessean

Ali Halbert works as a legal assistant at Ashworth Law Firm, located downstairs from the condo unit where Halbert and her husband live at Westhaven in Franklin. / Shelley Mays / The Tennessean

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Ali and Steve Halbert may get rid of their second car now that her commute to work consists of walking down a flight of stairs to the law office where she works as a legal assistant.

The Halberts live in a live-work townhome in Franklin’s Westhaven subdivision. Built by Regent Homes, the townhomes have space for offices or other businesses on the first floor and living areas on the top two floors.

“Overall, I’ve enjoyed the lessened stress of a daily commute to work,” she said.

With about 400 square feet of business space on the first level, the live-work townhomes are an example of how technology is changing the shape of homes and how we live in them, said David McGowan, Regent’s president.

“It’s changing incredibly fast,” he said.

Driven by Internet

Internet technology makes it possible to operate a professional office from a small space, said Halbert’s employer, attorney Robert C. Ashworth.

“The main idea with the live-work space is the convenience of the space and not having to use as much square feet for a physical office as traditionally required. If we weren’t operating on the cloud and as paperless as possible, we would not be able to use an office of this size,” he said.

Eric Stewart, whose insurance agency is renting space in Westhaven while waiting for a live-work unit to be built around the corner from Ashworth’s law firm, said working in a live-work townhome is more professional than a home office.

“Clients want a landmark or a building where they can stop by. With a home office, you’re missing the storefront,” he said.

Melissa Arnold, Stewart’s assistant, will live in the top floors of the townhome when it is completed this summer and, like Halbert, will commute down a flight of stairs.

Stewart also lives in Westhaven and has just a short walk to the community’s business zone.

Technology, including a wireless Internet network, touchscreen computers and smartphones, makes it unnecessary to have a big staff and a large space for offices, he said.

“With clients, I connect to the web in their home. Everyone seems to have WiFi. Briefcases are out the window. Everything’s on my iPhone,” said Stewart.

In Ashworth’s office, a large monitor takes the place of a traditional conference room. When he and Halbert need to confer about a document, she simply links her computer’s desktop, or one of their iPhones, to the screen.

“We can both work on a document together without ever leaving our desks or huddling around a monitor,” he said.

Easy to use

Erin Khan and her husband Matt believe demand for the live-work concept will be strong and are buying one as an investment. They may move in when they become empty nesters. Meanwhile, they’ll rent it to someone who could use the space for a business.

“The space is easy to use. You don’t have to have a lot of equipment,” she said. “With an iPhone you can do anything.”

The Khans’ neighbors in Westhaven are using their live-work townhome as a music studio, said Regent’s McGowan. In Lenox Village, the master-planned community in south Nashville where the company first introduced the concept, such spaces are used by a photography studio, a bookstore and other retailers.

Regent plans to offer live-work townhomes at Berry Farms, the 600-acre master-planned community on the south side of Franklin, and expects demand to grow as technology makes it easier to operate professional offices without a traditional space.

At Westhaven, Halbert has discovered an unexpected benefit of living above her office.

“I know our dog enjoys it as well,” she said. “Since I no longer have to commute home during my lunch hour to let her out, she definitely enjoys the extended lunchtime walks.”